The Generational Juan Feels And Embraces What Citi Field Is All About In Mets’ Home Opener

Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports

FLUSHING, NY — ‘Juan Could Get Used To This.’

The Generational Juan, owner of the largest contract in all of professional sports—Juan Soto—the $765 million man, made his New York Mets home-debut Friday afternoon at Citi Field in front of an orange and blue sold-out crowd of approximately 43,945.

And to simply put it, the left-handed slugging superstar sensation, out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a multiple-time LatinoMVP award winner (2021: NL & 2024: AL), felt what Queens and Citi Field is all about, embracing what Mets fans have to offer throughout the course of New York’s 5-0 home-opening shutout victory on the Toronto Blue Jays. 

The cheers and hype towards the Generational Juan kicked off from the very-beginning as attendees piled up in their cars while others swarmed local trains to all arrive in Flushing, Queens early. 

Tailgates starting before noon for a 3:10 PM ET first pitch, Dominican Republic flags appearing on nearly every turn one made, dozens of Soto signs making their rounds across the parking lot and inside of Citi Field… 

Overall, Juan Heck of a Day for the Amazin’ on-and-off the diamond. 

“It feels great, this fanbase is amazing” said Soto, recording his first-career hit as a Met at Citi Field in the bottom of the sixth-inning—a RBI-double off of Toronto’s left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty, to drive in whom other but Francisco Lindor (Caguas, Puerto Rico), a recipient of the 2024 NL LatinoMVP and 2016 AL LatinoMVP award. 

“I didn’t realize how many fans they have, how passionate they are. It’s really cool.” 

Soto, responsible for one-of-five runs driven in by the Mets on the day, paired to one-of-four hits, had an interesting selection of walk-up music for his at-bats—including Kendick Lamar’s hit-track, ‘tv off,’ ‘EoO,’ by Puerto Rico’s finest Bad Bunny, a multi-Latin Grammy award musician, and ‘Salud y Vida,’ by Daddy Yankee, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, one of the best Latin-artists to ever get behind a microphone. 

“He’s a showman,” stated Lindor, 31, of Soto, 26. “He’s one of those guys that when the lights are on and everybody is on top of him, he performs.” 

Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza tended to agree with Lindor’s remarks, noting, “That’s typical Juan Soto, he’s going to help you win games in a lot of ways… 

It was pretty cool for him and the crowd, the ovations. I thought overall it was a good day for him”

To say nothing of Pete Alonso’s 2025 Mets home opener would be a disservice to the ‘Polar Bear,’ as the 30-year-old—following an offseason of free agency rumors on back-and-forth negotiations with the organization–jacked a two-run first inning blast off of Blue Jays’ right-handed starter Kevin Gausman on a 1-2 count, which came in the strike zone at 95-MPH and left it with a 101.2-MPH exit velocity. 

A 377-foot fly-ball to right-field later and the Mets took a lead they would never end up looking back on. 

“It was sick,” said Alonso of his first-inning two-run homer and fan support throughout Friday’s home-opener. “That type of stuff is what you dream about as a kid. To have that type of support reciprocated, it’s really special. I enjoyed every second of it.” 

Soto on Alonso: “That’s why they call him the ‘Polar Bear,’ he has tremendous power.”

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